7 Cleaning Hacks to Save You Hours

Is it that time of the week when the house starts to look a bit shabby again? Resigning yourself to the fact that you’re going to have to reach for the cleaning cupboard once again is no fun, so we’re here to help.

Here are 7 of the best cleaning hacks to save you precious time, so you can get back to the really important stuff.

1. Fight grease with chalk

Greasy, grubby finger marks on your freshly painted walls? These can be a nightmare to get rid of, unless you have a piece of chalk to hand.

Simply rub the chalk over the stain, wait a few minutes and then wipe away with a damp cloth. The chalk will have absorbed the grease and lifted the stain clean off. This works well with greasy marks on your clothes too.

Extra tip: choose the old-fashioned, chalkboard type of chalk for this task; the newer kinds tend not to work as well.

2. Lemon microwave cleaner

Are you one of those unlucky souls with a flatmate who can’t resist exploding their food in the microwave? This is the hack for you.

Cut a couple of lemons in half and sit them in a glass dish or jug with some water. Put the microwave on high and keep an eye on the water until it starts to boil, then remove the jug and marvel at how easily all that foodie grime wipes away.

3. Pet hair squeegee

If you’ve got pets who shed their fur all day every day, you’ll probably have a very hairy house and a very full vacuum.

Get yourself a small rubber squeegee and scrape it along the carpet; all that stubborn fur will collect in one, easy-to-grab clump ready for the bin. This is a great quick-fix for those days when your vacuum needs a rest.

Extra tip: if you can’t get hold of a squeegee, you can also use a rubber glove to get the same effect.

4. Quick blender cleaner

You’ve been good and made a huge batch of healthy soup for the week, but now you have a blender caked in pureed vegetables.

Simply add a healthy squirt of washing up liquid and some warm water, turn the blender back on for a few seconds and then rinse and dry. You’ll wonder how you ever used to clean the blender any other way.

5. Shoe polish leather rescue

Is your trusty leather sofa looking a bit scratched and beaten? Simply reach for the shoe polish (make sure it’s the same colour as the leather) and gently buff away those ugly marks and tired patches, to reveal the sofa you used to know.

Be sure to wipe off any excess polish before you sit on the sofa in your best white trousers though.

6. Foil cleans glassware

When the remnants of that delicious pasta bake threaten to stay caked on to your glass dish forever, you need to reach for the kitchen foil. Seriously.

Roll up a ball of aluminium kitchen foil and apply a little bit of washing up liquid, then start scrubbing.

The abrasive surface and the soap will dissolve and buff away those stubborn clumps of food, without scratching your glassware.

7. Window blinds sock duster

There always comes a time when the window blinds become so laden with dust that you can no longer pretend you don’t see it.

Grab a clean sock, dip it in an equal parts mixture of water and white vinegar, put it over your hand and wipe each slat. All the dust and dirt will vanish in seconds, and you won’t even have to faff about with the vacuum.

Adopt these 7 brilliant cleaning hacks and you too can marvel at how little time you end up spending on those tiresome household chores. You’re welcome.